Chicago, IL rents, October 2026

What an apartment lists for in Chicago.

These are medians: half the listings ask more and half ask less. The rent map shows averages, which run a little higher.

What a 1 bedroom in Chicago lists for, in $250 steps.

Half ask between $1,925 and $2,839 a month. Listed 1 bedrooms by asking rent, 4,362 in all.

Per square foot, a 1 bedroom in Chicago lists for $3.48.

The median 1 bedroom listed in Chicago, IL is 700 sq ft, at a median of $3.48 a sq ft a month (3,896 listings with a size). Divide your rent by your square feet to see where you sit.

The same floor plan, in the same building, can list at different prices.

When a building in Chicago, IL lists two or more units of the identical floor plan (same name, bedrooms, bathrooms and square feet), 48% of the time they are $100 or more a month apart: 498 of 1,030 plans in 273 buildings. 234 are $200 or more apart. The median gap is $94.

$100 a month is $1,200 a year. Floor, view and move-in date explain some of it. It's still worth knowing what the other units of your plan list for when you tour or when your renewal comes.

The typical big building here listed 1 in 20 of its apartments this season.

Of 317 buildings in Chicago, IL with 50 or more apartments, the median has 5.0% of its units listed in the last 45 days; 35 have 1 in 10 or more. Listed isn't vacant: a listing can be a unit coming free in the next few weeks. A building with units to fill is usually glad to keep a good renter.

Questions renters ask.

How much is rent in Chicago, IL?

Median asking rent in Chicago, IL, October 2026: studio $1,866, 1 bedroom $2,400, 2 bedrooms $2,895, 3 bedrooms $2,702 a month, from 11,397 listed apartments in 4,875 buildings (listings collected Oct 2–16, 2026).

How much is a 1 bedroom apartment in Chicago, IL in October 2026?

The median asking rent for a 1 bedroom in Chicago, IL is $2,400 a month, from 4,362 listed apartments in 1,734 buildings (listings collected Oct 2–16, 2026).

What is a normal price range for a 1 bedroom in Chicago, IL?

Half of the listed 1 bedrooms in Chicago, IL ask between $1,925 and $2,839 a month; a quarter ask less and a quarter ask more.

How much is a studio or a 2 bedroom in Chicago, IL?

A studio's median asking rent is $1,866 a month and a 2 bedroom's is $2,895.

How big is a typical 1 bedroom in Chicago, IL?

The median listed 1 bedroom in Chicago, IL is 700 sq ft, at a median $3.48 a sq ft a month (3,896 listings with a size).

Do apartments with the same floor plan in the same building rent for the same price?

Often not. When a building in Chicago, IL lists two or more units of the identical floor plan, 48% of the time they are $100 or more a month apart (498 of 1,030 plans). The median gap is $94. $100 a month is $1,200 a year.

Are these the rents people actually pay?

No. They are asking rents on listings (Apartments.com and Zillow), not signed leases, and move-in specials are not taken off. They show what a building is asking for a unit today.

How we got these numbers.

• Asking rents, not signed leases. Apartments listed on Apartments.com and Zillow collected Oct 2–16, 2026. Move-in specials aren't taken off.
• Each apartment counts once, even when both sites list it. Base rents from $300 to $15,000 a month.
• Figures are medians: half the listings ask more, half ask less. The rent map shows averages, which run a little higher.
• Every figure comes from two or more buildings, and no building is named. A bedroom count with fewer than 10 listings says “not enough listings”.
• Market-rate apartment listings only: whole houses, furnished units, income-restricted units whose listing says so (MFTE and other affordable-housing programs) and rents we found while researching a renter's lease are left out.
• Updated every two weeks, when new listings are gathered; the month in the title is the month of the update date above. The full method.